Insert on extended deck and process of molding

Abstract

A mold for making bathtubs includes a mold receptor and a deck insert attached to the mold receptor face. The preferred deck insert has at least one projection designed to reduce the cross-sectional area of a portion of a void between the shell's deck and the deck forming face of the insert. Preferably, the distance from the outer edge of the shell's deck to the outer edge of the projection is about 16% of the length of the deck of the sanitary fixture. In an alternative embodiment, the deck insert has at least one outermost projection and at least one non-outermost projection. The outermost projection is preferably about half the height of the non-outermost projection. In another preferred embodiment, the deck insert includes at least one outermost projection and at least one non-outermost projection. The height of the outermost projection varies from a maximum height near the middle of the deck, to a minimum height near the end of the deck. The mold receptor receives a shell which has a finish side and a non-finish side. The shell is placed in the mold receptor leaving a void between the non-finish side of the shell and the deck insert of the receptor. The insert is attached to the mold receptor to reduce the cross-sectional area of a portion of the space between the shell deck and mold receptor.

We claim: 
     
       1. A mold for manufacturing sanitary fixtures having a reservoir and a deck on one side of the reservoir said mold comprising: a) a mold receptor for receiving a shell having a reservoir, a deck on one side of the reservoir, a finish side and a non-finish side, said receptor adapted for receiving said shell so as to define a void between the non-finish side of said shell and a deck forming face of said receptor adapted for receiving the deck region of the shell; and   b) an insert adapted for attachment to the deck forming face of the mold receptor, said insert having a base, said insert shaped to reduce the cross-sectional area of a portion of a void between the shell's deck and the deck forming face of the mold receptor, said reduction in cross-sectional area being at least a distance from an outer edge of the shell's deck which is from about 8% to about 24% of the length of the deck of the sanitary fixture.   
     
     
       2. The mold of claim 1, wherein the distance is from about 12% to about 20% of the length of the deck of the sanitary fixture. 
     
     
       3. The mold of claim 1 wherein the distance is about 16% of the length of the deck of the sanitary fixture. 
     
     
       4. The mold of claim 1, wherein said insert is removably attached to the deck forming face of the mold receptor by attachment means. 
     
     
       5. The mold of claim 1, wherein said insert has an attachment face communicating with said mold receptor face and a molding face on the opposite side of said insert. 
     
     
       6. The mold of claim 5, wherein said insert has a bevelled edge on the periphery of said molding face tapering towards said mold receptor deck face. 
     
     
       7. The mold of claim 6, wherein said bevelled edge tapers at an angle of about 45° from the base of the insert. 
     
     
       8. A mold for manufacturing sanitary fixtures having a reservoir and a deck on one side of the reservoir said mold comprising: a) a mold receptor for receiving a shell having a reservoir, a deck on one side of the reservoir, a finish side and a non-finish side, said receptor adapted for receiving said shell so as to define a void between the non-finish side of said shell and a deck forming face of said receptor adapted for receiving the deck region of the shell; and   b) an insert adapted for attachment to the deck forming face of the mold receptor, said insert having a base, said insert shaped to reduce the cross-sectional area of a portion of a void between the shell's deck and the deck forming face of the mold receptor, said reduction in cross-sectional area being at least a distance from an outer edge of the shell's deck which is from about 4.875" to about 14.625".   
     
     
       9. The mold of claim 8, wherein the distance is from about 7.3125" to about 12.1875". 
     
     
       10. The mold of claim 8, wherein the distance is about 9.75". 
     
     
       11. The mold of claim 8, wherein said insert is removably attached to the deck forming face of the mold receptor by attachment means. 
     
     
       12. The mold of claim 8, wherein said insert has an attachment face communicating with said mold receptor face and a molding face on the opposite side of said insert. 
     
     
       13. The mold of claim 8, wherein said insert has a bevelled edge on the periphery of said molding face tapering towards said mold receptor deck face. 
     
     
       14. The mold of claim 13, wherein said bevelled edge tapers at an angle of about 45° from the base of the insert. 
     
     
       15. A mold for manufacturing sanitary fixtures having a reservoir and a deck on one side of the reservoir said mold comprising: a) a mold receptor for receiving a shell having a reservoir, a deck on one side of the reservoir, a finish side and a non-finish side, said receptor adapted for receiving said shell so as to define a void between the non-finish side of said shell and a deck forming face of said receptor adapted for receiving the deck region of the shell; and   b) an insert adapted for attachment to the deck forming face of the mold receptor, said insert having a base, said insert shaped to reduce the cross-sectional area of a portion of a void between the shell's deck and the deck forming face of the mold receptor, said insert including at least one outermost projection and at least one non-outermost projection, said outermost projection being of a lesser height than said non-outermost projection.   
     
     
       16. The mold of claim 15 wherein the height of the outermost projection is from about 25% to about 75% of the height of the non-outermost projection. 
     
     
       17. The mold of claim 15 wherein the height of the outermost projection is about 50% of the height of the non-outermost projection. 
     
     
       18. A mold for manufacturing sanitary fixtures having a reservoir and a deck on one side of the reservoir said mold comprising: a) a mold receptor for receiving a shall having a reservoir, a deck on one side of the reservoir, a finish side and a non-finish side, said receptor adapted for receiving said shell so as to define a void between the non-finish side of said shell and a deck forming face of said receptor adapted for receiving the deck region of the shell: and   b) an insert adapted for attachment to the deck forming face of the mold receptor, said insert having a base, said insert shaped to reduce the cross-sectional area of a portion of a void between the shell's deck and the deck forming face of the mold receptor, said insert including at least one outermost projection and at least one non-outermost projection, said outermost projection varying in height from a minimum height near an end of the deck to a maximum height near a middle portion of the deck.   
     
     
       19. The mold of claim 18, wherein said maximum height is from about 0.292" to about 0.094" and said minimum height is from about 50% to about 0.0% of the height of said maximum height. 
     
     
       20. The mold of claim 18, wherein said maximum height is about 0.188" and said minimum height is about 0.0".